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A review by aspineline
The Mean Ones by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Creature Publishing for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review! This is a quick and sippy psychological horror, releasing just in time for spooky season. To be honest, I requested the ARC because I thought the cover art was so cool—and I was not disappointed!
Sadie has a pretty normal life for a twenty-something. But when her wound tight boyfriend Lucas commits to them to couples weekend in a remote wooded cabin, she must confront something gruesome from her past that she’s been avoiding.
This book is so creepy and full of disturbing dark imagery. The dual timeline plot and mystery surrounding what happened to Sadie at camp in the early 2000s compelled me to keep reading. There were parts where I thought I had the story figured out, but the author really keeps you on your toes. Like with many horror stories, there were moments where I rolled my eyes at Sadie’s silly decisions and relationships (but I’ll acknowledge we need her to be hiding her trauma and making bad choices for the story to work). I did really like what the author had to say about being a girl in middle school. The backstabbing (literally? 🤐), insecurity, and cruel pranks of youth—are they just part of growing up, or do you reap what you sow if you are a ‘mean one’? 🔪 🔪
This book is deeply unsettling so I would recommend it to those who enjoy the horror genre. There are lots of trigger warnings: gore, violence, fat shaming, a verbally abusive boyfriend, PTSD, and OCD (to name a few). But if those are up your alley, this would be a great read to add to your fall TBR 🩸 🦌 💀
Sadie has a pretty normal life for a twenty-something. But when her wound tight boyfriend Lucas commits to them to couples weekend in a remote wooded cabin, she must confront something gruesome from her past that she’s been avoiding.
This book is so creepy and full of disturbing dark imagery. The dual timeline plot and mystery surrounding what happened to Sadie at camp in the early 2000s compelled me to keep reading. There were parts where I thought I had the story figured out, but the author really keeps you on your toes. Like with many horror stories, there were moments where I rolled my eyes at Sadie’s silly decisions and relationships (but I’ll acknowledge we need her to be hiding her trauma and making bad choices for the story to work). I did really like what the author had to say about being a girl in middle school. The backstabbing (literally? 🤐), insecurity, and cruel pranks of youth—are they just part of growing up, or do you reap what you sow if you are a ‘mean one’? 🔪 🔪
This book is deeply unsettling so I would recommend it to those who enjoy the horror genre. There are lots of trigger warnings: gore, violence, fat shaming, a verbally abusive boyfriend, PTSD, and OCD (to name a few). But if those are up your alley, this would be a great read to add to your fall TBR 🩸 🦌 💀